After flirting with a number of web conferencing products, we finally made the plunge and forked out the cash for the "big guy". WebEx has defined the web conferencing space and I guess it was natural that we would wind up using them. So far we are very happy with their product. They deserve to be considered the "big guy".
The process of getting set up with WebEx was an interesting lesson for me in what to be careful of as we begin working our Costa Rican plans. As part of our service with WebEx, they provide a "branded" site for us to host our meetings. We sent them a mock-up of how we thought the site should look (within the boundaries of what is possible) and they then implemented it for us. The finished site can be found at http://slimsoft.webex.com/ and I'm very happy with how it turned out.
The lesson to be learned from this experience was the process we went through to get to this finished product. It turns out that WebEx uses resources based in China to do the branding for them. We all know the reason for this... it just makes financial sense to outsource a "backoffice" task like this to a lower cost center. But the key to making outsourcing a success is to ensure that your customers don't feel it impact the process. That's where WebEx struggled. Before we got things perfect, it took 3 tries. Now, 3 tries isn't that bad... the issue is that each try took a day to complete. Since the work was performed in China, the time zone difference meant that no direct feedback could be given. Everything had to be done via email. If these resources had been a phone call away, it would likely still have taken 3 tries, but it would have been completed in hours rather than days.
To me, this is the biggest challenge when working with offshore resources. Sometimes, time shifted resources work to your benefit. For example, providing support services on a 24 hour basis by moving your call center around the world with the sun. If you have the right project, handing off development or engineering to other resources as you go home for the day can really speed up the development cycle. Other times it can hurt.
It's all about perception. Will outsourcing and offshoring provide the same or better service to your customers at a lower price? Or will it offer a cheaper, but lower quality service?
As SlimSoft embarks on our own offshoring plans, we think our model will fall in the former. We believe that our customers should never feel the pain of an offshoring experience, only the benefit of a lower cost, and hopefully a better service as well.
The process of getting set up with WebEx was an interesting lesson for me in what to be careful of as we begin working our Costa Rican plans. As part of our service with WebEx, they provide a "branded" site for us to host our meetings. We sent them a mock-up of how we thought the site should look (within the boundaries of what is possible) and they then implemented it for us. The finished site can be found at http://slimsoft.webex.com/ and I'm very happy with how it turned out.
The lesson to be learned from this experience was the process we went through to get to this finished product. It turns out that WebEx uses resources based in China to do the branding for them. We all know the reason for this... it just makes financial sense to outsource a "backoffice" task like this to a lower cost center. But the key to making outsourcing a success is to ensure that your customers don't feel it impact the process. That's where WebEx struggled. Before we got things perfect, it took 3 tries. Now, 3 tries isn't that bad... the issue is that each try took a day to complete. Since the work was performed in China, the time zone difference meant that no direct feedback could be given. Everything had to be done via email. If these resources had been a phone call away, it would likely still have taken 3 tries, but it would have been completed in hours rather than days.
To me, this is the biggest challenge when working with offshore resources. Sometimes, time shifted resources work to your benefit. For example, providing support services on a 24 hour basis by moving your call center around the world with the sun. If you have the right project, handing off development or engineering to other resources as you go home for the day can really speed up the development cycle. Other times it can hurt.
It's all about perception. Will outsourcing and offshoring provide the same or better service to your customers at a lower price? Or will it offer a cheaper, but lower quality service?
As SlimSoft embarks on our own offshoring plans, we think our model will fall in the former. We believe that our customers should never feel the pain of an offshoring experience, only the benefit of a lower cost, and hopefully a better service as well.
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